Love You To Death

Chapter 46

Carla could feel her daughter's cheek. Her hand carefully caressed it as if it was a fragile doll.

She knew that went through insanity and saw hallucinations of her daughter in the past years but this one felt too real.

No, maybe this was a real illusion that had Rina in it.

"Is it really you?" Carla cupped both of her cheeks.

She could still touch her. She was not disappearing like her past illusions of Rina. This one lasted long.

Catherina hugged her mother and whimpered. "It's me, Rina. Your daughter. I'm alive."

"Is it true? Is it really you? You're my Rina?" Carla wetly gasped as tears escaped her eyes.

"Mhm." Catherina nodded.

"Please, if you're an illusion, stay longer. Don't disappear yet." Carla hugged her tightly, afraid that her daughter would leave her in insanity once again.

"I won't disappear. I promise. I really missed you, mother. Father and Callahan too.. I miss them so bad." Catherina's voice trembled as she continued to cry.

Ever since she woke up, she longed to appear in her home and let them know that she's still alive.

"AAGHH MY BABY!! RINA!" Carla sobbed, feeling surreal.

Yes, if it was a hallucination, her daughter would've disappeared by now. But she was still there.

*Tak* *Tak*

"Mother! What happened-!!" Callahan came running downstairs after hearing his mother's cry.

*Gasp*

Callahan froze as soon as he saw Catherina's figure.

Maybe he was seeing things.

Catherina's gaze landed on him and she was more than happy to see her brother.

"Callahan." She smiled.

Callahan was unsure of what to react.

Earlier, he was just checking the contents of the tea that Emma gave him and the results were the same. It was still poisoned.

By that, he figured out that Emma must've done the same to his sister by feeing her poison everyday. But the cause and reason why she did that... He still doesn't know.

But suddenly while studying, he heard his mother's scream downstairs. Her voice was sobbing loudly.

So he went to check her but when he came down, all he saw was something... Unexplainable.

A girl who flawlessly looked like his sister was hugging his mother while crying. Then after, she called out his name.

He rubbed his eyes and calmed himself first.

"Brother!" Catherina ran towards him and gave him a hug as well.

"!!!"

"I missed you."

Her face, her hair, and her voice though it matured a bit, he recognizes it all. There was only one person who could call him that way and it was none other than Rina.

He pushed her away a bit and observed her appearance if it was really her.

"Is.. something wrong?"

Catherina was confused and nervous. 'Does he not recognize me?'

Callahan looked at her from head to toe. He drooped his head low and covered his eyes.

He tried to see if he could notice something different about her but there was none. He tried to check that maybe, this girl in front of him was just pretending to be her sister.

'It's too similar.'

*Drip* *Drop*

Catherina was surprised to see tears falling from Callahan's eyes.

"Don't cry, brother." She wiped his wet cheeks.

Callahan held her hand and she was actually real.

The last time he saw her was when she died. The last time he held her hand was that time when it was cold and motionless.

Catherina's dead image struck his heart deeply that it caused him to experience trauma and guilt for the past few years.

But now, Catherina was moving. Her hands had heat on it and she was alive.

"Are you really Rina?" He asked, as if he wanted confirmation.

He already knew it was her but he wanted to hear it from her own mouth. He wanted to hear that she's not just an illusion.

"It's really me. I missed you." She hugged him tight once again.

Carla approached them and proceeded to hug her children. This was what she wanted. She only wanted to see her children grow and realizing it, it was a miracle.

"Callahan, she's real. She's not somebody else and I know it. I know my daughter better than anyone else."

"Mhm. I know."

*Creaaak*

The door suddenly opened and a person entered.

"Carla, I'm home." It was Duke Raphael.

"Raphael!"

"!!!!"

Before meeting Catherina, Raphael felt a great bloodlust residing in the area.

There he saw a suspicious man wearing a hood inside his home

It was Owen.

Out of impulse, he unsheathed his sword and attacked Owen.

*Clang!*

Owen formed a magic barrier as a defense. If it was somebody else, that person would've already been sliced in two as a reflection of the sword attack.

But Owen knew that it was Rina's father so he simply adjusted the barrier.

"Who are you?" Raphael growled.

"Father!" Catherina ran towards Owen and shielded him in front of him. "He's not a bad person!"

"!!!!"

Like Callahan's reaction for the first time, her father froze up after seeing her too.

His eyes widened in surprise as he realized that the image he always wanted to see after many hears appeared in front of him.

"So please withdraw you sword." Catherina pleaded.

Like a hypnotized person, Raphael could only do as she says. He sheathed back his sword and went silent for a moment.

"Thank you." She smiled. Catherina strode few steps towards her father then hugged him.

"I'm back home."

Raphael was in utter shock of the events. He looked at his wife and Callahan only to see both of them actually crying.

"Rina is alive. I can't believe it." Carla cried and Callahan patted her back as a form of comfort.

"Rina?" Raphael uttered as his voice shook out of incredulity.

"Yes, father. It's me." She smiled at him.

"Is it really you?" Raphael checked her from head to toe.

He looked at her all over and can't help but be confused of about everything. But seeing her, it was no doubt that she was actually his daughter.

All their reactions were the same. At first, they couldn't believe what they saw. Next, they check if she is real. And lastly, they couldn't help but conclude that it's really her.

After all, there was no one that could recognize her better than her family.

At last, they were finally reunited.

But then, all their gazes suddenly landed on Owen.

"I guess I have some explaining to do." Owen voiced out.